


Contagion

by medaeus (medivhthecorrupted)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blue Shadow Virus, Confederacy of Independent Systems, Galactic Republic, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:28:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23834614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/medivhthecorrupted/pseuds/medaeus
Summary: Doctor Nuvo Vindi's mad attempt to release the Blue Shadow Virus upon the unsuspecting Naboo is successful, sparking a galactic pandemic that has the potential to out-crisis the Clone Wars. Count Dooku is furious but soon realizes that he can use this to the Confederacy's advantage and quite possibly murder his own master with it.Meanwhile Chancellor Palpatine (Sidious) attempts to stay in control of his dejarik game with the galaxy as the virus rapidly spreads throughout the Republic, threatening the Grand Plan. Furious with his apprentice and the scientist responsible, Palpatine works to try and quarantine the virus and use it as a weapon to further weaken the Jedi Order.Can the heroes of the Republic and the Confederacy stop this disease before it wipes out trillions?
Relationships: Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	Contagion

**Author's Note:**

> New series prompted from the Quaran-Tober prompt list. 
> 
> I also felt that the Blue Shadow Virus episodes underplayed the seriousness of a contagious disease of the likes as the Blue Shadow virus, especially considering how stupid everyone was in trying to contain it. I felt that the virus would have gotten out anyway despite their efforts and considering that no one wore PPE as the infected were being transported out of the lab, the virus most certainly would have spread quickly among the Republic. Seriously Anakin, holding Padme's hand? She's infected you dolt! Don't care if you have a cure, if you don't stop the spread, you'll have more victims than you do vaccines. 
> 
> Also what did they do to the airborne contagion inside the lab? Like how did they get the victims out without releasing the virus? I'm going to assume they torched the place asap but still... The writers of that story arc did not think it through very well or at least research very well into how outbreaks happen.
> 
> For the sake of this story, we're just going say a battledroid managed to open a hatch before Rex and company could stop it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Count Dooku considers the potential of the outbreak.

OUTBREAK! AN ILLNESS THOUGHT LONG ERADICATED HAS BEEN UNLEASHED UPON THE UNSUSPECTING POPULACE OF NABOO! JEDI HEROES ANAKIN SKYWALKER AND OBI-WAN KENOBI WERE TOO LATE IN BRINGING BACK THE ONLY KNOWN CURE THAT COULD STOP THE BLUE SHADOW VIRUS. BATTLEDROIDS ATTEMPTING TO ESCAPE THE LOCKED DOWN LABORATORY SUCCEED IN BREACHING TO THE SURFACE, RELEASING THE AIRBORNE PLAGUE BEFORE THEY COULD ARRIVE IN TIME WITH THE REEKSA ROOT.

ALTHOUGH OUR HEROES MANAGED TO SAVE SENATOR PADME AMIDALA AND ASHOKA TANO, IT IS TOO LATE TO SAVE THE POPULACE OF NABOO. ALREADY THOUSANDS ARE INFECTED BEFORE QUARANTINE PROCEDURES CAN BE IMPLEMENTED AND THE VIRUS SOON QUICKLY SPREADS ACROSS THE STARS, POTENTIALLY INFECTING MILLIONS MORE!

OUTRAGED THAT VINDI HAS UNLEASHED THE BLUE SHADOW VIRUS BEFORE THE CONFEDERACY OF INDEPENDENT SYSTEMS COULD STOCKPILE ON A CURE, COUNT DOOKU TURNS HIS FOCUS ON DISCREDITING THE REPUBLIC AND CLOSING BORDERS BETWEEN WORLDS BEFORE THE PLAGUE COULD SPREAD TO THEM. BUT SOME INFECTED INDIVIDUALS STILL MANAGE TO GET THROUGH AND THE VIRUS QUICKLY ESCALATES INTO A GALACTIC PANDEMIC.

The flash of the holocameras annoyed the regal Count of Serenno as reporters shouted questions and demanded answers toward the accusations the Republic had accused him and his Confederacy of doing. He frowned deeply at the shouting as each reporter was trying to be overheard over the others and get closer by pushing their bodies past the battledroids trying to shield him as he departs from the Parliament building. He had spent the last several hours listening to the senators and representatives of the Confederacy voice their concerns quite loudly and verbosely.

He held up his hands and without a word being said by him, they all fell silent, much to his relief.

“Reports of a conspiracy by the Confederacy to recreate the Blue Shadow virus is absurd and untrue,” he begins, his tone calm but laced with concern for the threat the virus posed to all. It was genuine, his concern. He knew that not even he was immune to the disease should it make its way to Raxus Prime or even Serenno. Especially Serenno. “Doctor Nuvo Vindi was a virologist specialist commissioned by the Confederacy to find a cure after reports of the Republic attempting to weaponize the virus or similar. Separatist Intelligence reports indicate that Senator Amidala of Naboo broke into his laboratory and unleashed the recovered Republic samples he was working with under the assumption that he was attempting to recreate the virus himself. Her bumbling has cost the lives of thousands on her homeworld and soon millions more will follow suit.”

It was a scripted answer and one he had given with real anger and disdain for what had happened and all those involved. Dooku glared at the cameras, “The Republic has reduced themselves to barbaric and uncivilized stratagems in order to wipe out our cause and enforce their tyrannical rule upon us all. Doctor Vindi had been close to a breakthrough in a cure when the Senator and her Jedi lapdogs unleashed the virus upon the galaxy and now that data is in Republic hands. Mark my words, they will use that information to save themselves and refuse to share it with us.”

Seeing that he was done speaking, the reporters erupted with questions once more, but the Count refused to comment any further or answer them. He moved on past the horde of journalists, and the battledroids escorting him blocked them from pursing after the man. They settled with disappointment and ire before turning to their cameramen and continuing their reports on the development of the Blue Shadow Crisis.

Once within the safety of the apartment complex that housed the wealthier politicians and officials of the Confederacy and then into his own luxurious suite near the upper floors, Count Dooku released the tension in his shoulders as he unclasped the Serennian cloak and angrily tossed it into a nearby chair. “The damn fool!” he snarled while pacing toward a dark wood desk. “He was supposed to wait or destroy the samples if he was caught!” Vindi was lucky that he had been taken into custody by the Republic and the Jedi. He would have strangled the scientist with his bare hands for what he had done.

Now the entire war effort was threatened, and he dreaded the inevitable call from the one man he did not want to hear from. Sidious would be furious; he was certain of it. Unlike the Confederacy, the Republic would be hit the hardest even with a cure. Their army were living soldiers while his was mechanical. The lives lost would be greater for them compared to his side, but the loss of life galactically would have a devastating toll on everyone.

The holocomm on his desk began to beep and the Count turned his gaze toward the blinking light on the opposite side of him. He knew who was calling and knew he could not make the man wait. With a tense breath released and the squaring of his shoulders, the former Jedi walked around the desk and knelt before it as he answered the call with a press of a button. The hologram of his master appeared.

“My master,” he customarily greeted the younger Sith and he was met with an unnerving silence. Dooku wanted to raise his head and see the robed figure, but did not dare do so. He could feel the ire radiating off of him through the hologram. Sidious was livid and it made him nervous.

“Do you fully understand the disaster you have allowed to happen?” Sidious tone was like ice lancing through his spine. The older Sith Lord suppressed a wince and tried to school his expression and expel his fear into the Force before raising his head to meet his master’s hidden gaze.

“I am aware of the situation and the capacity of the consequences for Vindi’s failure,” the Count answered calmly. “He was ordered to create a bioweapon against the Jedi and from a certain point of view, he has succeeded. This catastrophe can be used to our advantage, my Master.”

“All the while threatening even our lives,” the dark master snapped sharply. “No. This has too many variables where things can go wrong militarily and end our campaign abruptly. Cleaning up Doctor Vindi’s mess will setback my plans, but… politically we may use this to our advantage. Provided it doesn’t wipe out the political body first.”

“How so?” Dooku curiously inquired.

“Both the Republic and the Confederacy constituents will look toward the leadership for help as well as for someone to blame. Since the Jedi were involved, they can be easily made into scapegoats for your side of the war and the Confederacy on mine.” A small, dark smile began to grace Sidious’ thin lips. “Yes. This can work for us but only if we are careful. The Blue Shadow virus was unpredictable and difficult to control once it began spreading across the galaxy. Do what is needed to protect your systems, apprentice.”

“Yes, my Master.” Dooku bowed his head, ideas and plans for using the growing pandemic to his advantage already coursing through his mind. The holocomm call abruptly ended and the Count relaxed once more. He had avoided punishment for now but knew that if this did not work in their favor, he would suffer later and suffer quite painfully, so much so that he would welcome dying to the virus.

Slowly he stood, the aches in his joints protesting at having to kneel for any length of time. He took a moment to still his racing heart and steady his breathing. Calls with Sidious were never pleasant and always left him feeling unbalanced and drained. He was getting too old for apprentice work and one of the reasons why he had others do the dirty work for him. If he had been half his age, he probably would do it himself and knew things would get done right. But he wasn’t.

With a frustrated sigh, the Count gathered some datapads and moved away from the desk and the unsettling conversation to focus on what he can do about the pandemic that was currently sweeping across the galaxy and to every star system that inhabited it. “Lepe,” he called to the LEP servant droid that tended to his apartments. LEP-31 waddled into the main room with a curious, or as close to one, look toward the tall human. “Tea if you would.”

“Yes, sir,” the machine responded and then hurried toward the kitchen.

Dooku set the handful of datapads onto the coffee table and took a seat on a sofa, then gestured at the holotube and the device flickered to life as he applied the Force to activate it. The voice of a female Twi’lek reporter with a crimson complexion soon filled the silence that permeated throughout the apartment. She was reporting on the current crisis that was hitting star systems across the galaxy. He could hear a slight tremble in her voice behind the filter mask she wore around her face. It was unsurprising that she would be afraid, the Blue Shadow virus had been the deadliest disease in galactic history and to learn and live in a time where it returned had to be terrifying to the woman.

It disturbed him and he contemplated on spending the entire crisis on one of his ships. At least droids couldn’t contract the disease.

Lepe returned a few moments later with a tray laden with a pot of tea and accessories. The servant droid set it down on the low table in front of the Count before serving him a cup. Dooku gratefully accepted it and added his preferred condiments before taking a sip of the hot liquid. He listened to the reporter while turning his attention to the datapads, sorting through them until he found a report on the Blue Shadow virus.

“… sixteen systems already have reported confirmed cases of the Blue Shadow virus near ground zero. This does not include any systems from the Republic but my sources tell me that many systems along the Hydian Way hyperspace route are also infected…” he half heard from the reporter while he skimmed through the report on Darknell, the first Confederate system to report cases of infection.

Naboo had not closed its spaceports in time before the first victims began exhibiting symptoms of the virus. With a three day incubation period, the Republic had not realized that the virus had managed to spread from the laboratory and into the nearby capital city of Theed. He had to give credit to Vindi for creating a resilient strain of the ancient virus, allowing it to survive in the atmosphere long enough to reach living organisms and transfer it to sentient beings in a populated area. Dooku reached over for the Republic report on Naboo his spies were able to acquire and read that the virus was thought to have infected local avian species and from there spread to the human and Gungan populace in Theed.

“Fools should have shut down Naboo the moment they discovered the laboratory,” he muttered, taking a moment to sip at his tea and then glance up at the news report on the holotube. The same Twi’lek continued to talk about the rapid spread of the virus and further feeding into the lie he had perpetuated only an hour earlier outside of Parliament. A small smile twitched at the corner of his lips. The people of the Confederacy would lap up in fear the conspiracy he had woven and spin it further from the truth for him until the truth itself was long buried and forgotten.

Perhaps using this crisis to their advantage would be easier than he thought. He could rally more systems to his cause and maybe even put a strain on Sidious’ plans. The former Jedi Master leaned back against the sofa back with a thoughtful expression, a datapad in one hand and his tea in the other as he contemplated on the possibilities this problem presented to him. He would have to be extremely careful in how he played the crisis out, for certain. But if he played it just right, he could use the disease to kill his master.

Billions would die in the process, but he figured their sacrifice would be worth killing the most dangerous being in the galaxy. He glanced down at the report on Naboo and then over at the holotube and the ticker that scrolled across the bottom of the image, listing the star systems that were infected. It would be a great tragedy if one of the citizens of those systems happened to make their way to Coruscant before they showed any symptoms.

A great tragedy indeed.

Dooku smiled darkly.


End file.
